Richard Edson
"Beyond the Valley of the Micro-Bops "
March 13-April 5, 2008
Reception Thursday, March 13, 7-9pm
Richard Edson's toy figures are meticulously shot at an intensely close range under very specialized lighting conditions to emphasize their shape, color, "toyness" and their relationship to a monochromatic or multi-chromatic background. Since the figures are so small and shot with a macro lens (with an elaborate series of tube expanders) the focal plane is extremely narrow, allowing only a tight area where part of the figure is in focus. This creates an odd and not unpleasant sense of space, displacement and fission. The effect brings the tiny objects into a larger than life existence, where dynamic worlds are elicited full of what the artist calls "dreams, visions, or solutions to problems not yet even imagined."
Looking at these simple figures as photographed through the macro lens one is impressed by the their depth and humanity, and the more one looks the greater the illusion becomes. What were once crude postures and expressions "factory carved" in plastic are now repositories of secret emotion and (often humorous) feelings that surprise us with their mournful outstretched arms, plaintive gazes and sometimes fierce aggression. The contrast between the cartoon-like quality of the figurines and the seriousness of their respective "dramas" has to make one smile a little, and in this way the artist brings a welcome comic relief to the timeless human narratives he captures in these 'micro-iconic' images.
Richard Edson on the title of the exhibit:
"The "valley" is the valley of the imagination and beyond that is where we strive to live. The "micro-bops" are the photographic record of these "toys" which I hope will stimulate, console, excite, frustrate or even trouble the latent power of the imagination."
About the artist:
After a life long fascination Richard Edson began taking pictures in earnest in the late nineties. Since he has had four one man shows - two at the Bedlam Gallery, one at 410 Boyd, and most recently at ADM PROJECTS in Hollywood. He has also been in numerous group shows, mostly in and around Los Angeles. His work has been featured in the magazines, "Juxtapoze", "The Propagandist", "WaxPoetics", and "Puta".Richard Edson was the original drummer with Sonic Youth and New York based afro-dance band Konk, he has continued to pursue music in Los Angeles with Jake LaBotz, Tito and Tarantula, Mr. Razz, Top Kat, and Gio and the Constellations, and currently his own band OilCan.
As an actor he has been in 72 films including some of the most
distinguished movies of all time, including: Oliver Stone's "Platoon", Jim Jarmisch's "Stranger Than Paradise", and Spike Lee's "Do The Right Thing". In the last couple of years he was seen in Wim Wender's "Land of Plenty", three films by the young French filmmaker, Raphael Nadjari, "The Shade", "I Am Josh Polanski's Brother" and "Apt. 5C , "The Astronaut Farmer", and "Starsky and Hutch".
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